Aeroflot To Buy Boeing 787s, Airbus A350s

Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, will pay USD$5.81 billion for a total of 44 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, a discount of about 17 percent, Vedomosti business daily reported on Monday.

Aeroflot has agreed to pay USD$2.906 billion for 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and USD$2.904 billion for 22 of Airbus's A350 XWB planes, the paper said, citing a report by Interfax news agency.

Interfax cited company materials prepared for a shareholders meeting.

Aeroflot announced the deals earlier this year but has never said how much it was going to pay for the aircraft in one of the biggest-ever foreign plane orders by a Russian company.

The paper said each of the two 22-plane orders would have cost USD$3.5 billion according to list prices, indicating a discount of about 17 percent.

Analysts told the paper the discount was so large because Aeroflot had managed to play off both companies against each other.

Under the deals, Aeroflot will get its first Airbus in 2014 and the last in 2019, and its first Boeing in 2014 and the last in 2016, the paper said. (Reuters)

AirAsia In Talks For More A320s

Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia is in talks to buy more Airbus A320 planes due to increasing demand, AirAsia Deputy Chief Executive Kamarudin Meranum said.

AirAsia, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, has 150 firm orders for the single-aisle A320s and options on another 50.

"We are in discussions to increase our Airbus orders," Kamarudin said, but gave no further details.

"We will probably firm up some of the optional aircrafts and take additional optional aircrafts," he said.

AirAsia, Asia's largest budget carrier, introduced its low-fare, no-frills concept in December 2001, and has since embarked on an aggressive expansion. (Reuters)

UB Group Plans US Flights In 2008

India's UB Group plans to start flights to the United States by April 2008 through either Kingfisher Airlines or Air Deccan, in which it recently bought a stake, chairman Vijay Mallya said on Tuesday.

UB filed applications with U.S authorities two weeks ago for flights from India's IT hub of Bangalore to New York and San Francisco, he said.

India only permits airlines that have been operational for at least five years to fly overseas. Private airline operators have been lobbying for that rule to be relaxed as the domestic market gets increasingly crowded and competitive.

"Air Deccan will be five years old in 2008. If norms for flying abroad are not relaxed, we will fly Air Deccan," Mallya told reporters on the sidelines of a business conference.

UB (Holdings) owns 83 percent in two-year-old Kingfisher. It bought 26 percent in budget carrier Deccan Aviation in May and has made an open offer to buy a further 20 percent.

The offer was delayed after India's capital market regulator earlier this month raised queries on the funding for the offer.

Mallya said funds were already in place to cover the offer.

Deccan's managing director, G.R. Gopinath, said the firm hoped to start making a profit from the first quarter of the financial year 2008/09.

Kingfisher and Deccan, which together have more than 30 percent of the domestic market, compete with state-run Air India and private airlines including Jet Airways, SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo. (Reuters)

First A380 flight on 25-26 October

Airbus and Singapore Airlines have agreed to a delivery timetable for the first A380 aircraft. The aircraft is planned for handover by Airbus to Singapore Airlines on Monday 15 October at a ceremony in Toulouse, France.

It will be configured with 471 seats in three classes: Economy, Business and the new Singapore Airlines Suites: a class beyond First.

Within a few days of delivery, the aircraft will fly to Singapore`s Changi Airport: the world`s first A380 home airport. There will be a short period set aside for crew and ground staff familiarisation.

World aviation history will be made when the Singapore Airlines A380 makes its First Flight - SQ380 - to Sydney`s Kingsford Smith Airport on Thursday 25 October, and returns to Singapore on Friday 26 October.

Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chew Choon Seng, said the delivery would mark the beginning of a new chapter for the aviation industry.

"Everyone at Singapore Airlines is keenly anticipating the delivery of this new plane, and our people are working hard on final preparation for its entry into service. The first flight promises to be one of the most exciting occasions in aviation history."

"We are overwhelmed by the support of the community - from all over the world - for the charity auction. And I would like to thank the many partners and service providers that have followed the lead of our fuel supplier, ExxonMobil, and eBay, in donating their services for the First Flight`s charitable causes.

"While occasions like this are few and far between, we hope this enthusiasm generates support for very worthwhile causes,"Mr Chew said.

Seats across all three classes will be auctioned on the global online marketplace, eBay. There will be plenty of seats put to auction, allowing many opportunities for travelers keen to be part of history to join the First Flight experience.

For the new Singapore Airlines Suites, the A380`s First Flight will be the first ever occasion to fly on what will be a product that totally redefines luxury in the sky.

Entry into scheduled service will commence on the Sydney route soon after the First Flight.

Charity Auction Starts 27 August

The auction of seats on the First Flight will commence on Monday 27 August 2007. Seats in all three classes will be sold progressively, across both legs of the flight. Bids will be staggered to finish at various times over a period of just over two weeks, with the auction cycle being completed on 10 September 2007.

The auction will be for single, double and multiple seats in each class.

All seats will be sold on a one-way basis, so people wanting to fly on both legs of the First Flight will need to bid twice.

To participate in the auction, a bidder will need the following:

• An eBay user ID ... it`s free and easy to get
• The names and passport numbers of those travelling
• For bids on packages in the premium classes (Business & Suites), or bids over USD1,000 in Economy Class, pre-qualification will be required. This ensures bids are not artificially inflated, and gives bidders confidence they are bidding only against genuine and pre-qualified bidders

Prequalification is initiated online. Singapore Airlines` global auction management agency, Auctionwire, has developed numerous ways for bidders to pre-qualify and lodge security deposits for bids requiring pre-qualification.

All information on packages available, bid prequalification and how to get an eBay user ID is available on the Singapore Airlines website, singaporeair.com/a380.

100% of the proceeds of the auction will be donated to charities. They are:

• One-third to Singapore`s Community Chest
• One-third split between the Sydney Children`s Hospital, Randwick, and The Children's Hospital at Westmead, both in Sydney
• One-third to Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders.

Vicky Karantzavelou - Monday, August 20, 2007

No passengers injured from China Airlines` flight CI 120

China Airlines announced that Flight CI 120 from Taipei to Okinawa caught fire during taxi operations at Okinawa Airport, but stressed that all passengers were safe.The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was carrying eight business class and 147 economy class passengers. All 155 passengers and two infants, plus eight crew members, were safe.

The passenger list included 114 Taiwanese nationals and 19 Japanese, with the remaining passengers from other countries. The crew included two pilots and six cabin attendants; one of the cabin attendants was Japanese. The captain, Yu Chien-Kuo, 48 years old, has been flying 737-800 aircraft for CAL for six years, accumulating 7,874 flying hours. The co-pilot, first officer PhillipTseng, 26 years old, has accumulated 845 flying hours. He earned his own CPL (Commercial Pilot Licence) and joined CAL one year and two months ago.

China Airlines, CI-122, from Taipei to Okinawa, has departed from Taipei at 16:10 (Monday 20 August). The passengers on flight CI- 120 may claim their baggage losses from China Airlines, according to regulations, and CAL will do everything it can to assist this process.

The maintenance record check showed that the aircraft, before the accident, had undergone the usual strict checks without showing any unusual findings. The two CFM56-7B26 engines, manufactured by CFM, had just completed aroutine inspection.

China Airlines headquarters, and its branch office in Okinawa, have organized an emergency team to handle the accident and investigation.
Michael Verikios - Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Emirates and Airbus conclude tests

Seven days, 100 tests, and more than 2000 people involved: the A380`s compatibility at Dubai International Airport has been successfully demonstrated. With an onboard team of almost 80 Airbus personnel that participated in the test programme, the 21st century flagship aircraft took off from Dubai at 10:00 hours on 21 August, having effectively concluded a rigorous campaign of operability tests, both in normal and extreme temperature conditions.

During its week-long Dubai visit, marking one of the longest customer trials for Airbus, the aircraft, MSN 007, was the centrepiece of numerous compatibility tests including taxiway, runway and ground support equipment tests, as well as docking trials at the terminal gate and in the state-of-the-art Emirates Engineering Centre.

Seeking to familiarise its staff with the world`s largest commercial passenger aircraft, Emirates, jointly with Airbus, conducted four test flights that brought into play all key units of the airline such as Airport Services, Inflight Catering, Cabin Crew, Flight Operations, Cargo, Inflight Systems, Engineering and Maintenance, Group Security, and Dnata Airport Operations.

From the time the test campaign was conceived, Emirates was clear - tests must be as real as possible and conducted under typical airline conditions. Two of the test flights were operated in the morning when Dubai International Airport was at its busiest, followed by two flights later in the afternoon. The flights, each two hours in duration and flown over the UAE, were operated at almost 80 percent load factor - the average seat factor experienced by the Dubai-based airline.

Even with 40 percent more passengers on average per flight, the A380`s turnaround time between each of the two test flights on 17th and 18th August was fixed at 90 minutes. Boarding of passengers, comprising mostly airline staff, was conducted via double-decker aerobridges as well as off stand through buses on tarmac.

The hot weather operability tests culminated with the smooth docking of the A380 at Hangar C in Emirates Engineering Centre later in the week. The dock fabricated and commissioned by UAE-based Excel Industries will allow full access to all areas of the aircraft for heavy maintenance, while at the same time ensure a safe, stable and efficient working environment up to 24 metres above ground level.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates` Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations said: "Emirates is delighted at the successful completion of a long and comprehensive test campaign with Airbus. Emirates` staff, drawn from various operational departments, were able to familiarise themselves with the aircraft, ahead of its entry into the airline?s fleet."

"Our staff from all corners of the world including Australia, Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Korea and Mauritius arrived into Dubai to volunteer as passengers for the test flights, bearing testimony to the campaign's overwhelming response. It was an extremely gratifying moment when the first flight lifted off the runway amidst a ripple of applause, both from the onboard passengers and from ground staff on the tarmac."

Al Redha added: "Emirates has worked closely with Airbus in the design and development of the A380, as the airframe moved from concept to the drawing board and on to the production line. We will continue to work together to test the aircraft's systems between now and August 2008 when Emirates is expected to take delivery of its first A380."

Emirates has ordered 55 A380s. With forecasts indicating a doubling of air traffic in the next 15 years, and a corresponding increase in flight frequencies not being an option on many routes due to slot constraints, the A380 - the world`s largest aircraft - is aptly designed for world growth, while at the same time minimizing impact on the environment.

Viva Macau granted approval for Sydney service

Viva Macau is to start Sydney service following receipt of approval from Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Australia. The airline will commence flying directly from Macau to Sydney three times a week. The first return service from Sydney to Macau will start August 23, 2007.

Con Korfiatis, Viva Macau’s Chief Executive is grateful for the understanding of all affected passengers who were scheduled to fly with the airline on August 15 -16, August 18 -19, and August 20 -21, 2007.

All affected passengers were re-accommodated with either alternative flight arrangements on a similar schedule provided, a full refund or re-booked on a future Viva Macau flight. A free return ticket to any of Viva Macau’s scheduled destinations was also offered to each passenger, redeemable within twelve months.

“Last week’s postponement was unexpected and outside Viva Macau’s control, but with our reacting immediately and offering of all possible travel alternatives to our customers, the customer’s feedback and understanding have been very positive and encouraging,” Korfiatis said.

In addition, Korfiatis also expressed his thanks to CASA in granting the approval.

“We greatly appreciate the support we have been given by CASA during the process of approval. Viva Macau is pleased to be able to take off for Sydney,” Korfiatis said.

With the commencement of the service, Viva Macau is Macau’s first airline offering transcontinental route which marks a significant milestone in Macau’s aviation.

Viva Macau’s inaugural flight closely coincides with the opening of the world’s largest integrated resort next Tuesday. Korfiatis added that Viva Macau is confident in bringing in a significant amount of new tourists from Australia to Macau, Asia’s Las Vegas.

“The world is very excited about the vibrant development of Macau. With Macau’s mixed cultural charisma, uniquely rich historical background and heritage, convenient accessibility to Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, on top of all these new leisure, entertainment, MICE facilities being developed, Viva Macau will continue to contribute in boosting Macau’s tourism,” Korfiatis said.
Vicky Karantzavelou - Thursday, August 23, 2007